River Fishing in Red River ( Kizilirmak )

Just middle of the town (Avanos),flows one of the longest waterway of Turkey with it’s beautiful rafting points and fishing areas,to be found anywhere in the world.That river rises from the mountains through the middle of the town up to millions of years.Our skilled quides will take you to some of the best fishing locations of sheatfish,carps or sea bass. where can be readily viewed.This tour commences at approximately 7.00AM from the hotel with a scenic drive ,where we launch.Once settled into fishing,morning tea is provided.

A bit more fishing,then it’s time for a lunch of fresh sandwiches & fruit that can be taken in a shady spot on the bank ,or ‘’on the go’’ as you keep reeling them in.We pack up the roads about 4.00PM and get back to hotel approximately 5.00PM

FOR MORE INFORMATION / info@matiana.com.tr

Ozkonak Undergroundcity

This underground settlement is in the center of the town of Ozkonak, 14 km north of Avanos and hollowed out into the west slopes of the Idis Dagi ,where the tufa layers are mainly found.

Although there is only one floor, it covers a large area and the spaces are connected to each other with tunnels. Unlike the important underground cities of Kaymakli and Derinkuyu, there are very long and narrow holes to enable communication between the levels. When the entrances of neatly hollowed chambers were closed, those narrow (5 cm in diameter) and long holes were used also for ventilation.

Unlike the other underground settlements, just in front of the millstone doors, on the ceiling of the tunnels, there are small holes which were made to pour hot oil on the enemy, or to spear them.

As in the underground cities of Kaymakli and Derinkuyu, in this underground settlement are a ventilation shaft, a well, a winery and millstone doors.

Cappadocia Geology

The interesting rock formations, known as "fairy chimneys", have been formed as the result of the erosion of this tufa layer, sculpted by wind and flood water, running down on the slopes of the valleys. Water has found its way through the valleys creating cracks and ruptures in the hard rock. The softer, easily erodable material underneath has been gradually swept away receding the slopes and in this way, conical formations protected with basalt caps have been created.

The fairy chimneys with caps, mainly found in the vicinity of Urgup, have a conical shaped body and a boulder on top of it. The cone is constructed from tufa and volcanic ash, while the cap is of hard, more resistant rock such as lahar or ignimbrite. Various types of fairy chimneys are found in Cappadocia. Among these are those with caps, cones, mushroom like forms, columns and pointed rocks.

Fairy chimneys are generally found in the valleys of the Uchisar- Ürgüp-Avanos triangle, between Urgup and Sahinefendi, around the town of Cat in Nevsehir, in the Sogani valley in Kayseri, and in the village of Selime in Aksaray.

VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS & GEOLOGICAL FORMATION

Mount Erciyes, Hasandagi and Golludag were active volcanoes in the geological periods. Alongside with many other volcanoes, eruptions of these volcanoes started in the Early Miocene (10 million years ago) and have continued until the present day.

The lava produced by these volcanoes, under the Neogene lakes, formed a layer of tufa on the plateaus, which varied in hardness and was between 100 and 150m thick. Other substances in the layer are ignimbrite, soft tufa, tufa, lahar, ash, clay, sandstone, marn, basalt and other agglomerates.

Plateaus, having been essentially shaped with the lava from the bigger volcanoes, were continuously altered with the eruptions of smaller volcanoes. Starting in the Early Pliocene Period, the rivers in the area, especially Kizilirmak (the Red River), and local lakes contributed to the erosion of this layer of tufa stone, eventually giving the area its present day shape.

Fascinating Curves
Another characteristic feature of the area is the sweeping curves on the sides of the valleys, formed by rainwater. The array of colors seen on some of the valleys is due to the difference in heat of the lava layers. Such patterns can be seen in Uchisar, Cavusin/ Güllüdere, Goreme/ Meskendir, Ortahisar/Kizilçukur and Pancarlik valleys.

Civil Architecture

CAPPADOCIAN CIVIL ARCHITECTURE
19th century Cappadocian houses were built on hill sides, either carved out of the rock or built from large cut stones. Volcanic stone is the only architectural material in the region used for building ; it is soft when extracted and can therefore easily be cut and shaped. It hardens on contact with air to form a very resistant material. The abundance of stone in the area, and the ease of use have created a building technique unique to the area.

Wood is used for courtyard gates and the houses' doors. Rosette and ivy patterns are used as decorations above the arched doors.
The areas between floors are decorated in up to three rows of rosettes, fans, stars, palmet, weather vanes and stylized plant patterns.
Windows are grouped in twos and threes and stylized plant patterns are also used as decorative borders. Two types of windows are used, either two panes opening separately or guillotine style.

In both types of houses there are numerous living rooms, a kitchen, cellar, store room, an oven (tandir), wine vat etc. Niches found in the guest rooms are decorated with paintings of vases full of flowers under silk, tasselled curtains, scenes from nature or women filling, or carrying water vessels. These scenes are painted on plaster.
The most interesting examples of local architecture belong to the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries. Examples can be found all over the region, but particularly in Ürgüp, Ortahisar, Mustafapasa, Bashisar, Goreme, Avanos, and in Guzeloz and nearby Baskoy in the province of Kayseri and in Guzelyurt in the vicinity of Ihlara Canyon.

The Ottoman Period

The Region of Cappadocia was very peaceful also during the Ottoman Period. Nevsehir was a small village in the province of Nigde until the time of Damat Ibrahim Pasha. At the beginning of the 18th century, especially during the time of Damat Ibrahim Pasha, places like Nevsehir, Gulsehir, Ozkonak, Avanos and Urgup prospered and mosques, kulliyes (a collection of buildings of an institution, usually composed of schools, a mosque, lunatic asylum, hospital, kitchen, etc.) and fountains were built. The bridge in the centre of the town of Ozkonak, which was built during Yavuz Sultan Selim’s campaign to the east (1514), is important in terms of being an early Ottoman Period building.

The Christian people living in the area were treated with tolerance in the Ottoman Period as in the Seljuk Period. The 18th century church of Constantine-Helena in Sinasos-Urgup, the 19th century church built in honor of Dimitrius in Gulsehir and the Orthodox Church in Derinkuyu are some of the best examples of this tolerance.

Formation of the Fairy Chimneys

The interesting rock formations, known as "fairy chimneys", have been formed as the result of the erosion of this tufa layer, sculpted by wind and flood water, running down on the slopes of the valleys. Water has found its way through the valleys creating cracks and ruptures in the hard rock. The softer, easily erodable material underneath has been gradually swept away receding the slopes and in this way, conical formations protected with basalt caps have been created.

The fairy chimneys with caps, mainly found in the vicinity of Urgup, have a
conical shaped body and a boulder on top of it.

The cone is constructed from tufa and volcanic ash, while the cap is of hard, more resistant rock such as lahar or ignimbrite. Various types of fairy chimneys are found in Cappadocia. Among these are those with caps, cones, mushroom like forms, columns and pointed
rocks.
Fairy chimneys are generally found in the valleys of the Uchisar- Urgup-Avanos
triangle, between Urgup and Sahinefendi, around the town of Cat in Nevsehir, in
the Soganli valley in Kayseri, and in the village of Selime in Aksaray.